Jing Fong

Since I arrived in Manhattan a couple years ago, I’ve been on the lookout for good dim sum. Growing up in Honolulu, my family and I would have dim sum on a regular basis and I’ve missed the tradition since moving to the east coast.

I can only blame myself for the lack of dim sum in my life. Great dim sum exists all over Chinatown, finding it is not the difficult part. It’s getting to the lower east side before 2:30 on a weekend, before they stop serving, that always seems to be the problem.

I finally made it. Last Sunday my boyfriend Read and I rode his motorcycle 116 blocks in the rain in a valiant attempt to have dim sum before noon. After reading reviews online, we decided on Jin Fong, a bustling, authentic dim sum hall that I figured would be perfect for Read, a first timer in the world of authentic dim sum.

We were greeted by two massive escalators that lead to an enormous banquet hall that could easily seat 300 people. (Pictures courtesy of NYC Food Guy)

Everything was red—wallpaper, chairs, waitresses, pictures of dragons plastered to the wall. Walkie-talkies were the preferred method of communication, the hostess signaling to someone across the hall to seat us. Because we were only two people, we shared our table with another family.

About six carts were being actively pushed around the hall. In this large of a setting, I encourage getting out of your chair and tracking down what looks good. Bring your order card around with you, because every time you grab a plate, they stamp your card to keep track of your purchases.

There is also a stationary hot food station in the middle of the hall, serving mussels, steamed bok choy with oyster sauce, scallion rice cakes, stuffed eggplant, and dumplings being freshly pan fried. Don’t see what you want? Ask! The wait staff will most likely tell you “coming later”, a standard response they seem to use for all inquiries, but you might just get directions to your favorite dish.

Read and my favorites included:

Shin Roll: A seafood or meat combination wrapped in a bean curd skin and cooked in a savory brown sauce.  The bean curd is chewy and slightly crunchy, with a rich glaze of what tastes almost like pan drippings.

Shrimp Noodles: This is a childhood favorite of mine.  It's nothing spectacular, just delicate rice noodles stuffed with baby shrimp and served with a sweet, soy based sauce, but I look forward to this every time.  The noodles are chewy and the sauce completely addicting.  I could eat this every day.

Fried Taro: Curly bits of fried taro surround a savory mash of fresh taro and pork.  It's a creamy, crunchy and purple on the inside. What's not to like.

We also sampled shrimp and pork dumplings, fried scallion rice cakes, steamed bbq pork buns, sticky rice cooked in a tea leaf, and baby bok choy.

When the check came, it was surprisingly reasonable—something like 35 dollars for the two of us to pig out shamelessly.  We thought they must have given us the wrong check.

Jing Fong definitely gets my seal of approval, and is a great and affordable NYC find!